The penetration of occupational habits into daily life
In the long journey of work, I gradually realized that the nature of my job had a subtle yet profound impact on my life. The work I'm engaged in has an almost demanding pursuit of quality. This obsession with quality is like a seed. After taking root and sprouting in the soil of work, it inadvertently spreads to every corner of life. As a result, in my life, I've also become somewhat nit - picking, as if I'm wearing a pair of special "quality glasses" and can find faults in everything.
When I go shopping, the influence brought by this profession becomes even more obvious. Every time I face a wide variety of commodities, the subconscious thought of "special procurement / concession" always pops up in my mind. This means that I have to make a compromise between my high requirements for quality and the actual situation of the commodities. It's as if I'm standing on a high platform of ideal quality, while the commodities are unevenly arranged at different heights below. I have to lower my standards again and again to accept those things that don't fully meet my perfect standards in my heart. In fact, it's this professional habit, or rather, professional inertia that's at play, making it difficult for me to get rid of the strict scrutiny of quality at work even in my daily life.
A tangled experience of shopping in the supermarket
Last night, after learning the news that it was the last day of the 50% off promotion for all items at the ITAT Supermarket downstairs, I accompanied my wife to the supermarket to hunt for bargains. From the moment I stepped into the supermarket, I felt like I had entered a quality inspection field. We shuttled through the dazzling array of goods. From socks and shoes to fashion items, every time I saw a style that I liked, my professional instinct would automatically kick in. I subconsciously observed the workmanship of the products. My eyes were like a scanner, quickly capturing those subtle flaws. Even an irregular thread or uneven stitching couldn't escape my notice.
In this process, I couldn't help but think about the relationship among brand, quality, and price. I found that a brand is not always directly proportional to quality. Some products of well - known brands also have various problems in workmanship. Moreover, the relationship between quality and price is not simply linear. Sometimes, products with high prices may not necessarily meet my quality standards. I even contemplated in my mind that if I could conduct a regression analysis, I might be able to find a more accurate correlation among these three factors.
Time slipped away quietly while I was struggling and thinking. It wasn't until the mall started to close at 22:30 that we had to make a choice. I reluctantly selected a few items with relatively higher cost - effectiveness and packed them. When I completed the payment with my credit card and added another expense to my bill, I finally ended this shopping trip and went home with a full load of "trophies".
Reflections on "Qualities and Habits"
On second thought, using "quality and habit" to describe my current state is actually not very accurate. It's not just a habit; it's more like a deep - seated way of thinking. This way of thinking makes me constantly pursue perfection in life, but I often get caught in a tangle because of the imperfection of reality. It's a characteristic given to me by my work. It has a positive side, allowing me to ensure the quality in my work. However, in life, it also brings me some unnecessary troubles. Perhaps, I need to learn to find a balance between work and life, so that this pursuit of quality can both play to its advantages and not make me too exhausted in life.